Pilates Exercise: Chest and Shoulder Stretch

Time for a chest and shoulder stretch! We can help relieve the tightness we feel after sitting at our desks all day.

This video has not been modified for injury or chronic pain issues. Please talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise routine. You want to skip this exercise if you are in acute pain in your neck or shoulders.

As I said earlier we’re going to do a chest and shoulder stretch. This is great for any of us who spend a lot of time in a forward position throughout the day. You’re going to need some sort of strap, whether it’s a towel, a TheraBand, a yoga belt, or a regular belt.

Stand with your feet hip width apart. Keep your knees a little soft because you don’t want to lock out the knee joints and make sure to have some tension in the strap. Exhale and bring your arms overhead. Once your arms are overhead make sure that you’re not flaring through your ribs or sticking out your bum because we want to stay nice and neutral in the spine.

Once we’ve reached the top with the arms, we’re going to try to increase the range of motion, without changing the form. Do not flare the ribs or let your head sneak forward because that won’t give you a true stretch. Remember to keep the knees soft and don’t let your bum stick out. You just want to move the arms and shoulders. Inhale and bring your arms back down.

Exhale, bring the arms up. Check to make sure that you’re nice and neutral in your spine, and the knees aren’t locked out. Head is relaxed. Try to reach the arms back behind you a little bit more without changing anything in your form. Inhale and bring your arms back down.

Repeat that until you feel like you’ve improved your range of motion without compromising your form. One thing you want to be aware of is any numbing, burning, or tingling sensations. Rest if you feel any of these sensations because you don’t want to stress out your nerves.

Very simple. Easy to do. All right, enjoy the chest and shoulder stretch.

Let me know if you have something in particular you want me to address. I take requests! What do you want me to show you? What’s been bugging you lately? Do you want help with something specific? I want to know what you are looking for.

Stayed tuned for the next post! We will see what I have in store for you then.

Email me at pilates@thebodygallery.com for more information. I’m happy to help.
Until next time, enjoy life, have fun, and make it a great day.